Slide fastener stop attaching machine



Feb. z, 1943. L. F. Mmm-:RV 2,310,033`

SLIDE FASTENER STOP -ATTAGHING MACHINE Filed July 25., 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 1%27' y Zar* www L. F. MUTHER 'SLIDE FASTENER STOP ATTACHING MACHINE Feb. Z, 1943.

Filed July 25, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 2, 1943 UNITED SLIDE FASTENER STOP ATTACHING MACHIN Lorenz F. Muther, Newton Center, Mass. Application July 25, 1940, seria No. 347,439

Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for attaching slide fastener top and bottom stops.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a' novel machine for automatically feeding and clenching slide fastener top and/or bottom stops in proper position upon the slide fastener tapes.

Further objects are the provision of a machine having a device to receive and carry a top and/or bottom stop from the feeding means to the clenching means, a device for automatically positioning the stop in a predetermined position upon said carrying device, and a device for holding the stop in predetermined position upon the carrying device until the stop has been clenched.

Other objects will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the machine with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the stop carrying member retracted to a position to receive a stop from the end of the raceway;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged end elevational View looking from left to right at Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the lines 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a completed slide fastener.

A slide fastener (Fig. 6) consists of two tapes 8 to which the outwardly extending ends of the interlocking members B are clamped. A bottom stop I0 is rmly secured to the tapes in such a position that it bridges the opening between them, thereby limiting the downward movement of the slide l2. This bottom stop consists of an upper and a lower member which are parallel and of a narrow strip of metal which connects the upper and lower members. tapes are gripped between the opposite ends of the parallel members and the connecting band of metal extends between the adjacent edges of the tapes.

The.

A top stop is provided adjacent the upper I jacent the line of fold. The top stops serve to limit the upward movement of the slider |2.

The machine of this invention may be used to clench or aflix either the bottom stops or the stops to the tapes so that they are clenched by the machine in the respective positions shown in Fig. 6 thereby to complete the slide fastener assembly. Although the drawings illustrate only bottom stops in position in. the machine, it will be apparent that top stops may be fed and clenched by the same machine.

The machine comprises a frame 20 which may be supported upon any convenient bench or table, A transverse horizontal shaft 2| is mounted for rotation in bearings in the frame. A camv22 is secured to the shaft 2i adjacent one end to rotate with the shaft. A lever arm 23 is mounted for rotation about the horizontal shaft 24 and the ends of said shaft are supported by suitable bearings which are supported by the frame of the machine. A follower roll 26 is pivotally secured adjacent one end of the lever arm and is held in engagement with the edge face of the cam 22 by the coil lspring 2l. A link 28,has one end pivotally secured to the other end of the lever arm by a cotter pin 29. The lower end of said link ispivotally secured to the upper end of the vertical shaft 3| vby the cotter pin 30. l

The shaft 3| is mounted for vertical movement in a vertical chamber provided in the arm 32 which is integral with the frame of the machine.

The lower end of ,the shaft 3| is normally located directly above the surface of the adjacent end of the finger 34.

Thus, looking at Fig. 1, the lower end of the shaft 3| is normally in the elevated position there illustrated, but when the shaft 2| is rotated, the projection on the cam 22 elevates the adjacent end of the lever arm 23, lowers the other end of said arm, and forces the shaft 3| to move downwardly so that its lower end strikes the end of the finger 34 and compresses the top and bottom sides of the bottom st'op |0 into engagement with the tapes of the slide fastener while the tapes are held in the position shown in Fig. 2. When the cam 22 releases its pressure against the follower roll 26, the spring 21 again elevates the shaft 3| to the position of Fig. 1.

Each bottom stop is carried from the lower end of the raceway 35 to the clenching position shown in Fig. 1 by a horizontally slidable member consisting of the plate 36 and the member 31, which is integral with the plate 36 and extends longitudinally from the upper surface thereof (Figs. 1 and 4). These slidable members 36 and 31 are slidable horizontally in a horizontal channel, the sides and bottom of which are formed by the frame of the machine and the tops of which are secured to the frame by screws 39 (Figs. 4 and 5). 'I'he space 'between the adjacent longitudinal edges of the plates 38 is slightly greater than .the width of the upstanding member 31 which in turn is slightly wider than a bottom stop. Thus a bottom stop located on the surface of the plate 36 with its edge resting against the end of the member 31 (as shown in Fig. 3) is free to be advanced by movement of the plates 36, 31 to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 without frictionally engaging the edge of the plates 38.

The slide '36, 31 is retracted from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and again returned to the clenching position of Figs. 1 and 2 by the cam 40, follower roll 4I, arm 42 and link 43. The cam 40 is secured to the horizontal shaft 2l and is rotatable therewith. The follower roll 4I is pivotally secured to the upper end of the arm 42 which is mounted for rotation about a horizontal shaft 45. 'Ihis horizontal shaft 45 is rotatably supported in bearings supported by the frame. 'I'he lower end of the arm 42 is pivotally secured to one end of the link 43 and the other end of said link is pivotally secured by a pin 92 to the lug 46 whichis integral with the slide member 31. 'I'he tension spring H has one end secured to the frame portion 32 and the other end secured to the arm 42. This spring lill keeps the follower roll 4I in contact` with the edge of the cam 40.

When the cam 40 is rotated clockwise (looking at Fig. 1), it causes the lower end of the arm 42 to move from left to right (looking at Fig. 1), thereby retracting the slide 36, 31 from the position of Figs. l and 2 to the position of Fig. 3, where the end of the member 31 has passed the line of bottom stops in the raceway so that it does not obstruct the outward movement of the lowermost bottom stop from the end of the raceway to the surface of the member 36. As the cam 46 continues its rotation, the slide 36, 31 is returned to the position of Figs. 1 and 2 by the spring H0.

The nger 34 is plvotally mounted intermediate its ends upon the lug 41 which is integral with the slide member 31. A compression spring 46 has its upper end abutting the bottom surface of one end of the nger 34 and tends to elevate said end of the finger and to force the opposite end of the nger downwardly into engagement with the upper surface of a bottom stop located upon the surface of the slide 36, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus the nger 34 functions to hold the bottom stop in a predetermined position upon the surface of the slide member 36.

A horizontal pin 50 issecured to the side of the finger 34 and a lug 5I having a beveled end surface is secured to one of the plates 36 (Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive). When the slide 36, 31 is moved to the fully retracted position shown in Fig. 3, the pin 50 rides upwardly along the beveled end surface of the lug 5l, thereby moving the free end of the nger 34, to which the pin is attached, upwardly and lowering the other end oi the finger against the pressure of the spring 48. This elevation of the free end of the finger raises its lower surface so that it does not contact the upper surface of the bottom stop when the bottom stop is forced from the end of the raceway outwardly upon the surface of the plate 36. As soon as the slide 36, 31

3|, the pin 50 leaves the beveled surface of the lug 5i and the spring 46 forces the free end of the finger 34 downwardly against the upper surface of the bottom stop. The finger remains ln this position until the slide 36, 31 is again returned to the retracted position of Fig. 3.

The finger 54 is located in a space 61 (Fig. l) which is provided between one of the plates 33 and a depressed surface of the frame 20. The finger is mounted for reciprocation about the vertical pin 55 as an axis. 'I'he spring 66 tends to cause the finger to move in a clockwise direction (looking at Fig. 2) from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3. 'Ihe thickness of the inner end of the nger is such that it will loosely fit between the top and bottom sides of a bottom stop when the finger is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 3. When the slide 36, 31 is retracted to the position of Fig. 3, the finger 54 extends transversely across the space between the plates 33 and is spaced slightly above the surface of the slide member 36 and slightly away from the end of the slide member 31. In this position of the finger 54 the lowermost bottom stop may be forced from the end of the raceway 36 upon the surface of the slide member 36 so that the top and bottom sides of the bottom stop straddle the end of the linger 54 and one edge of the bottom stop lies between the edge of the finger 54 and the end of the member 31, as shown in Fig. 3. As the slide member 36, 31 advances toward the shaft 3l, the finger 34 engages the top surface of the bottom stop and the finger 54 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (looking at Fig. 3) by the pressure of the end of the slide member 31 as it advances. As the slide 36, 31 continues to advance, the finger 54 is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 2 and it remains in that position until the end of the slide 'member 31 is returned again toward the end of the raceway and advances past the end of the finger. The spring 56 then causes the finger 54 to rotate clockwise to the position of Fig. 3 where it is ready to guide another bottom stop into proper position upon the surface of the slide member 36.

The raceway 35 consists of a backing plate 66 (Figs. 4 and 5) and three plates 6I, 62 and 63 which are secured thereto and which extend from the lower end of the raceway to the hopper wall 64 (Fig. l); throughout their lengththe plates 6|, 62 and 63 are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 5 so that a bottom stop may slide downwardly from the hopper' along the inner edge of the plate 63 and can leave the raceway only by being forced from the lower end of the plate 63 which is slightly above the surface of the slide member 36 when said slide member is in the position of Fig. 3.

The hopper wall 64 is secured to the backing plate 60 and extends perpendicularly from its surface. Where the upper ends of the plates 6|, 62 and 63 abut the hopper wall. a transverse opening is provided in the wall, which opening is of the proper shape and location to permit a bottom stop to pass therethrough into the raceway only end foremost so that the bottom stop must straddle the edge of the plate 63 and slide thereon in proper position to the lower end of the raceway.

'Ihe backing plate 66 also forms the bottom of the hopper and a removable cover (not shown) is secured to the end of the hopper wall 64 so that the supply of bottom stops in the hopper may be replenished from time to time. A brush `66 is secured to one end of the shaft 85. The

shaft and brush are rotated forward and backward through an angle of about 60 so that the brush agitates the bottom stops in the hopper, thereby causing them to pass through the hopper wall opening into the upper end of the raceway.

The shaft 65 is rotated forward and backward by a crank |29, link 61, arm 68, arm 69, link.

19, and wheel 1|. 'I'he crank |20 has one end secured to the shaft 65 and the other end pivotally secured to one end of the link 61. The other end of the link 61 is pivotally secured to the upper end of the arm 68. T'he other end of the arm 68 is secured to one end of the shaft 12 which is supported for rotation in bearings. One end of the arm 69 is secured to the other end of the shaft 12 and the other end of the arm 69 is pivotally secured to the upper end of the link 10. The lower end of the link is pivotally secured by a bolt 13 to the wheel 1| which l connected with the driveshaft of an electric motor (not shown). The belt 18 connects the wheel 16 with the wheel -15 so that the latter wheel is continuously rotated by the `former wheel. y

Rotation of the wheel causes rotation of the shaft 14 and of the wheel 1|. Rotation of the wheel 1| causes alternate raising and lowering of the link 10 and of the attached end of the arm 69 which causes to and fro rotation of the arm 68 and longitudinal reciprocation of the link 61. Reciprocation of the link 61 causes to and fro movement of the crank |28 which causes forward and backward rotation of the shaft 65 and the brush 66.

The bottom stops slide to the lower end of the raceway by gravity but they are forced from the end of the raceway to the surface of the slide 36 to the arm 88. A tension spring 95 has one end secured to the arm 86 and the other end secured to the arm 90. The spring 95 is fully collapsed in the position of Figs. 2 and 5 and is extended in the position of Fig. 3. The spring 95 is stronger than the spring 94 so that when the arm 90 is rotated from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 3, the spring 95 causes the arm 86 to rotate in the same direction.

'I'he end of the pin 92 engages the pin 9| when the slide 36, 31 is moved from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 3, thereby moving the link 96 in a counterclockwise direction about the bolt 81 (looking at Fig. 2). This causes the arm 86 to rotate aboutl the bolt 81 in the same l direction and the engagementbetween the slot 88 and the pin 89 causes the slide 82 to move from left to right (looking at Fig. 5) to a position in which the end of the projection'83 enters the raceway, engages the edge of a bottom stop, and thereby forces the lowermost bottom stop out from the end of the raceway upon the surface of the plate 36 and straddling the end of the finger 54 (see Fig. 3). When the cam 40 moves the slide 36, 31 from the position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 2, the pin 92 is moved away from engagement with the pin 9| and the spring 94 returns the arms 90 and 86 to the position of Fig. 5, and such movement of the arm 86 causes the slide 82 also to return to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

A foot pedal (not shown) is connected to the lower end of the rod 91 (Fig. 1) and the upper end of the rod 91 is connected to a clutch mechanism 98. When the foot pedal is depressed theclutch mechanism causes the shaft 2| to be rotated by the drive wheel 16.

by the outstanding portion 83 of the Ahorizontal finger 80 (Figs. 4 and 5). 'I'he finger 89 is pivotally secured intermediate its ends between `a pair of lugs 8| which are secured to a horizontal plate 82. The plate 82 is mounted in an undercut channel so that the plate is slidable horizontally toward and away from the lower end its lower end engages the surface of the plate 82, thereby forcing the other end of the finger downwardly against the pressure of the compression spring 85. l

The horizontal arm 86 is mounted for rotation about the shaft of the bolt 81. One end of this arm is provided with a slot 88. The pin 89 is secured to the plate 82 and it extends transversely through the slot 88. An arm 98 is mounted for rotation about the shaft of the bolt 81. A vertical pin 9| is secured to the arm 99 adjacent one of its ends. A tension spring 94 has one end secured to the frame of the machine and the `other end secured When the foot pedal is elevated, the machine is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 so that a bottom stop is presented beneath the end of the shaft 3|. The operator then places the slide fastener tapes between the upper and lower w members of the bottom stop in the position shown in Fig. 2 and depresses the foot pedal which causes rotation of the shaft 2 I'. shaft 3| to be moved rapidly downwardly and its lower end strikes the upper surface of the finger 34 so that the parallel upper and lower sides of the bottom stop are moved toward each other and the bottom stop is thereby clenched upon the tape to the completed position shown in Fig. 6.

The cam 40 then moves the slide 36, 31 to the retracted position shown in Fig. 3. During the latter part of this movement the spring 56 rotates the finger 54 to the position shown in Fig.

3 and the pin 50 engages the beveled top of the lug 5| thereby raising the end of the finger 34 so that it 'does not obstruct the end of the raceway. During the last part of this retracting ymovement of the slide 36, 31 the pin 92 engages the pin 9| and causes the end of the member 83 to be moved from the position shown in Fig. 4`

into the raceway (see Fig. 3), thereby forcing the lowermost bottom stop out from the end of the raceway upon the surface of the` plate 36 and straddling the finger 54. When the cam 40 has been further rotated and the spring ||6 starts to return the slide 36, 31 toward the position .of Figs. l, 2, 4 and 5, the finger 34 immediately engages the top of the bottom stop, the finger 54 is then rotated to the position of Fig. 2, and the slide 36, 31 returns to the position of Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 with a fresh bottom stop in position to be clenched.

This causes the Upon each depression of the foot pedal the machine automatically repeats the above-described movements to clench the bottom stop which is in position beneath the shaft 3| and to receive a fresh bottom stop and return it to clenching position.

In use of the machine for afiixing top stops instead of bottom stops, the only difference in operation is in the placing of the fastener tapes by the operator. Y In that case the edge of one tape is placed against the fold between the upper and lower member of the bottom stop and it is necessary to clench one bottom stop upon one tape and then to clench the next bottom stop upon the edge of the other tape.

I claim:

1. In a slide fastener stop-attaching machine having a raceway for feeding stops and stopclenching means for securing the stops to stringers, a slidable member movable in a fixed path from a position adjacent to the end of said raceway toward and away from the stop-clenching means, said slidable member having a portion for receiving a stop from the end of the raceway, a positioning finger extending across the stop-receiving portion so as to engage a stop delivered from the end of the raceway and hold said -stop on the stop-receiving portion, said finger being constructed and arranged to move from stop-holding position to a position clear of said xed path in response to movement of said slidable member toward said stop-clenching means, and means for moving said slidable member from stop-receiving position to a position wherein the stop-receiving portion is adjacent to the stop-cleanching means.

2. In a slide fastener stop-attaching machine having a raceway for feeding stops and stopclenching means for securing the stops to stringers, a slidable member movable in a fixed path from a position adjacent to the end of said raceway toward and away from the stop-clenching means, said slidable member having a portion for receiving a stop from the end of the raceway, means for effecting delivery of a stop from said raceway to the stop-receiving portion of said slidable member, a stop-holding nger pivotally mounted upon said slidable member so as to engage and yieldingly hold a stop delivered to said stop-holding portion, means for moving said slidable member and stop-holding finger to a position in which the stop-engaging portion of the iinger is adjacent to the stop-clenching means, and means for causing the stop-clenching means to strike said finger, thereby forcing the sides of the stop toward each lother to clenched position while the stop is supported on y said slidable member.

3. In a slide .fastener stop-attaching machine having a raceway for feeding stops and stopfor receiving a stop from the end of the raceway, a positioning nger extending across the stop-receiving portion so as to engage a stop delivered from the end of the raceway and position said stop on the stop-receiving portion, said nger being constructed and arranged to move from stop-holding position to a position clear of said xed path in response to movement of said slidable member toward said stop-clenching means, a stop-holding finger pivotally mounted upon said slidable member so as to engage and yieldingly hold a stop positioned on said stopholding portion, means for moving said slidable member and stop-holding finger to a position in which the stop-engaging portion of the finger is adjacent to the stop-clenching means, and means for causing the stop-clenching means to strike said stop-holding finger, thereby forcing the sides of the stop toward each other to clenched position while the stop is supported on said slidable member.

4. In a slide fastener stop-attaching machine having a raceway for feeding stops and stopclenching means for securing the stops to stringers, a slidable member movable in a iixed path from a' position adjacent to the end oi said raceway toward and away from the stop-clenching means, said slidable member having aportion for receiving a stop from the end of the raceway, a stop-feeding finger constructed and arranged'so as to engage a stop positioned in the ,raceway and thereafter to force the stop located at the end of the raceway outwardly from the raceway to the stop-receiving portion of said slidable member, and means for moving said slidable member from stop-receiving position to a position wherein the stop-receiving portion is adjacent to the stop-clenching means.

5. In a slide fastener stop-attaching machine having a raceway for feeding stops and stopclenching means for securing the stops to stringers, a slidable member movable in a xed path from a position adjacent to the end of said raceway toward and away from the stop-clenching means, said slidable member having a portion for receiving a stop from the end of the raceway, a stop-feeding nger constructed and arranged to engage a stop positioned in the raceway and thereafter to force the stop outwardly from thev raceway to the stop-receiving portion of said slidable member, a positioning finger extending across the stop-receiving portion so as to engage the stop delivered by said feeding nger and position it in a predetermined position on said stopclenching means for securing the stops to stringers, a slidable member movable in a fixed path from a position adjacent to the end of said raceway toward and away from the stop-clenching means, said slidable member having a portion receiving portion, said positioning finger being constructed and arranged to move from the aforesaid operative position to a position clear of said fixed path in response to movement of said slidablemember toward said stop-clenching means, and means for moving said slidable member from stop-receiving position to a position wherein the stop-receiving portion is adjacent to the stop-clenching means.

LORENZ F. MUTHER. 

